The Best Local Guide in Mongolia

Chapter 54 The Best Local Guide in Mongolia

To put it simply, let me ask you a question: which emperor, Zhu Yuanzhang or Kublai Khan, was the most effective in fighting against the Mongols?

It must be Zhu Yuanzhang. People from all dynasties have given the same answer. After all, Zhu Yuanzhang unified the north and south, drove out the Mongols, and launched many northern expeditions. How could he be inferior to Kublai Khan, a Mongol?

When the Mongols in the Ming Dynasty army saw this question, they had only one answer in their minds: Kublai Khan!

Zhu Yuanzhang had only attacked the Mongols a few times, and he didn't even know where our stronghold was. He even fed us and didn't take our lives.

The answer is obvious: it was Kublai Khan, just as it wasn't the Ming Dynasty that ultimately destroyed the Mongols, but the Yuan Dynasty established by Kublai Khan.

Is Kublai Khan really that abstract?

Isn't he Mongolian? Has he forgotten his roots?

During Kublai Khan's southward campaign to capture Möngke Khan, his elder brother Möngke Khan was killed in battle. With the support of Han Chinese advisors under his command, Kublai Khan directly succeeded to the throne. His younger brother Ariq Böke also declared himself Khan in the Mongolian steppe, thus splitting the Mongol Empire into two major parts.

[Then, relying on the abundant resources of Han lands, Kublai Khan's Han soldiers defeated Ariq Böke's army so badly that he eventually led a group of Han troops to attack Karakorum, the holy city of Mongolia.]

[Incidentally, by using infantry to counter cavalry, they decisively defeated Genghis Khan's Kheshig army, and even the Great Khan of the Mongols, or rather, the pseudo-Khan Ariq Böke, was captured.]

The scene shifts in front of the backdrop, showing Ariq Böke loudly advising Kublai Khan: "Never go to the Central Plains! Han culture is too terrifying; it will assimilate you."

Kublai Khan was somewhat unconvinced, "I am a descendant of the Golden Family, protected by the Eternal Heaven. Just watch how I rule them."

The scene flashes, and Kublai Khan, now emperor, is seen in a dragon robe, constantly patting the dust off his robe. "What a desolate backwater! It's all dilapidated and dirt, nothing like my capital!"

Ariq Böke, seeing Kublai Khan, exclaimed excitedly, "Brother, you're back!"

Kublai Khan looked at him with utter disgust, as if he had seen something filthy. "How dare you speak like that, you Tartar! Who is your brother? Why don't you kneel before me?"

"Kublai Khan, have you drunk too much mare's milk wine? Why are you talking nonsense?"

"I am the founding emperor of the Great Yuan Dynasty, the sovereign of all under heaven, and I have received the mandate of heaven. May my reign be long and prosperous, Liu Bilie. Do not compare me to you steppe barbarians."

Ariq Börge looked completely bewildered: "You're a descendant of the Golden Family!"

"Actually, I have long been a Han Chinese. My ancestor was Liu Bang."

"I must say, the imperial wine in Dadu is better than mare's milk wine; it has a refreshing aroma."

Many ancient people in the Han Dynasty were dumbfounded.

Something's not right, something's not right.

Liu Bang shook his head vigorously, "These Mongols are a different race. How can they claim to be your descendants? This doesn't make sense."

"If that's the case, does that mean the Xiongnu people also have your bloodline, that they are your descendants?"

"That's hard to say."

Empress Lü then made a startling statement: "Who knows if any Xiongnu widows came looking for you while you were at Baideng Mountain and left you a child?"

"Don't you just like widows?"

"Back in Pei County, I got involved with a woman named Cao and gave birth to Liu Fei. I, a woman, can't say for sure about such things."

Seeing his old brothers looking at him with suspicion, Liu Bang thought, "You guys really believe me? Even if I'm not picky about food, I wouldn't sleep with a Xiongnu widow, would I? She smells so fishy."

I never said that during the reign of Emperor Yuan Shizu. This is all slander by later generations. Are they just playing with abstract concepts?

Kublai Khan was driven to a state of utter madness.

Although I have done all the things mentioned on the screen, I have never said that my ancestor was Liu Bang.

However, the imperial wine of the Han people was indeed better than mare's milk wine.

As for the others, people of different ranks in the hall behaved completely differently.

The Mongol officials suddenly realized why His Majesty was so ruthless towards his own people. It turned out he didn't consider them family. They had been presumptuous and were ultimately unworthy.

The Semu people, on the other hand, had expressions of pure delight, as if they had just eaten a delicious melon. They thought it was so tasty and loved it, and that they would definitely make their children remember it when they got home, because it was something that would be passed down through the ages.

As for the Han people, their joy was barely contained; they were almost bursting into song. They had waited so long for this day, and after fighting for so long, it turned out they were fighting for their Han emperor! Now they had no more psychological burden. Many even had tears welling up in their eyes, the glistening tears reflecting their loyalty!

Your Majesty, say no more. From this day forward, Your Majesty will command wherever Your Majesty commands, and the slaying of the traitors and the restoration of the Han dynasty will begin today!

Throughout history, the biggest problem faced by dynasties when confronted with incursions by northern nomadic peoples was not their inability to defeat them, but rather their inability to locate them. These northern ethnic minorities lived deep within the grasslands, which were covered in grass and lacked any landmarks, making it extremely easy to get lost without a guide.

Li Guang nodded in agreement. He didn't blame Li Guang for being bad at directions; he blamed the vastness of the grasslands. He told Li Guang to stop the Xiongnu from running away and to fight them head-on. He said he would shoot them with an arrow instead of shooting that big rock.

Compared to Li Guang's frustration, Huo Qubing was somewhat puzzled. "Can't they find the way? How come I can always find the Xiongnu people? Sometimes I really can't find them for several days, and then a kind person will suddenly appear to give me directions. I really don't understand why they complain about not being able to find them?"

But things are better now. With Kublai Khan around, they don't need a guide. No one understands the grasslands better than Kublai Khan.

The scene shifts on the screen: a vast grassland, a gentle breeze caressing Kublai Khan's face. He feels the tender touch of the grassland, a warm greeting from the Eternal Heaven. Just as he closes his eyes to feel the breeze, he suddenly feels something damp on his head. He reaches down and touches it, exclaiming, "Where did this stupid bird come from, pooping everywhere?!"

Perhaps this was also a greeting from the Eternal Heaven: "Your Majesty, we've lost track of the enemy!!"

The general behind him reported to Kublai Khan with a bitter face that the vast grassland was so big that even people with a good sense of direction could not distinguish east from west.

"Huh? How did we lose them? Where did we lose them?"

Kublai Khan asked in bewilderment, "So, we get here, then there, and then nothing happens; we realize we've lost track of them."

Kublai Khan pondered for a moment, "Here it is. You go back first, then walk three hundred paces east, then five hundred paces south. When you see a stone that looks like a chicken, follow the sheep droppings along the road until you see a stream. That is the Tartars' main camp."

The generals were somewhat stunned. What kind of marking method was this? And how could Your Majesty be so skilled at it?

"Your Majesty, how do you know so much?"

"You're kidding! I grew up on the grasslands, and I know better than their own fathers where my buddies, brothers, and nephews like to hide!"

So Your Majesty, you were already prepared to fight back.

With Your Majesty as our guide, how can we not destroy the Mongols?!